Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is everything the original wasn’t

Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble is out now on Steam and Nintendo Switch. It’s a sequel to 2017’s Tiny Metal, and it plays a lot like that predecessor. So Full Metal Rumble is another “Japanese arcade war game” in the style of Nintendo’s Advance Wars, but it’s also more than just an expansion for the original Tiny Metal. Developer Area 35 has added a number of key features that flesh out the play experience.

I enjoyed Tiny Metal, but I didn’t stick with it. And upon reflection, I think it’s because itedidn’t feel fully baked and the AI didn’t provide a challenge. Since its release, I’ve also spent a lot of time with the excellent Advance Wars-like Wargroove. I expected all of that to work against Full Metal Rumble, but so far, it has exceeded my expectations. And I think I may end up liking it more than Wargroove.